Boat



F. WOOD April 13, 1954 BOAT Filed July 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

INVENTOR FRED WOOD ATTORNEYS FIG. 3.

QAZQAWM FIG. 2.

April 13, 1954 WOOD 2,674,753

BOAT

Filed July 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

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INVENTOR FRED WOOD (Wm (M ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 13, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOAT Fred Wood, Shamrock, Tex.

Application July 25, 1952, Serial No. 300,800

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to boats, and, more particularly, to small boats of the type used for hunting and fishing.

In general, boats of this type consist of a buoyant hull capable of carrying a single occupant and the necessary fishing or hunting gear, the occupants legs extending through the bottom of the boat to supply the necessary propelling force. Usually waterproof leggings or boots are attached to the bottom of the boat to protect the occupants legs, and in some boats, a suspender arrangement is provided whereby the occupant can carry the boat with him upon emerging from the water.

It is an object of this invention to provide a boat of simple design and construction and not requiring the use of special parts, whereby the boat may be easily made and assembled.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a boat for use in hunting or fishing which has a removable occupant supporting mem her which may easily be replaced when necessary.

In attaining these objects, I provide a boat consisting of fore and aft buoyant sections joined together in spaced relation by means of stringers. An inflated occupant carrying member is inserted in the space between the fore and aft sections and is held in place by the stringers. Attached to the inflated member is a web provided with leg holes through which the occupants legs are inserted,

' the web providing a seat for the occupant, who,

when seated in position, may propel the boat with his legs, leaving his hand free to manipulate the fishing or hunting gear.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the drawings, showing a, preferred embodiment of my invention, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of the boat in use;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the boat shown in Fig. l with the occupant supporting member shown in dot-dash lines;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the occupant supporting member;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the method of connecting the web seat to the inflated member to form the occupant supporting member.

Referring now to Figs. 1 through 5, I have shown a boat having a fore section I forming the prow and an aft section 2 forming the stern, joined together in spaced relation by means of stringers 3 and 4. An inflatable occupant supporting member 5 of circular shape is insertable, when inflated, in the space between the fore and aft sections as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The fore section I may be constructed of any suitable material, such as wood, and comprises a pointed front piece 6 having vertical side walls 1 and 8 attached thereto and extending backwardly and outwardly from the front piece 6. A vertical, curved end Wall 9, having a radius of curvature somewhat greater than that of member 5, joins walls I and 3 together. Top wall Ill and bottom wall I I are fastened to front piece 6, end wall 9, and side walls I and 8 in such a manner that fore section I is a hollow, water tight unit. Strips of wood I2 may be mounted on the top of wall Ill to form a container I3 for fishing tackle or the like, as shown.

Aft section 2 is preferably constructed of the same material as fore section i, and comprises a vertical stern wall I4 having vertical side walls It and It extending forwardly and outwardly therefrom as shown. A vertical, curved end wall il having a radius of curvature somewhat greater than that of member 5 joins walls I5 and It together. Top wall I8 and bottom wall I9 are fastened to stern piece I4, end wall I? and side walls I5 and HS in such a manner that aft section 2 is a hollow, water tight unit. Strips of wood 20 may be mounted on top of wall I8 to form a container ill for fishing tackle or the like, as shown.

In order to connect fore section I and aft section 2 together in spaced relation, I provide a pair of substantially straight, parallel bottom stringers 3, 3 of any suitable material such as hollow metal pipe, which are rigidly joined to the rear, bottom corners 22, 22 of fore section I by any suitable means such as rivets or screws, and to the front, bottom corners 23, 23 of aft section 2 in a like manner. The length of stringers 3, 3 is such that walls 9 and I! are spaced from each other a distance measured along the longitudinal centerline of the boat approximately equal to the outer diameter of occupant supporting member 5.

Fore section I and aft section 2 are further connected together by a pair of arcuately shaped top stringers l, 4 which are rigidly connected to the rear, top corners 2'3, 24 of fore section I and the front, top corners 25, 25 of aft section 2. Stringers 4, t are so disposed that they bow outwardly from the longitudinal center line of the boat, indicated at a in Fig. 2, the greatest distance between them being slightly less than the diameter of occupant bearing member 5, as best seen in Fig. 5.

Occupant supporting member 5 includes a toroidal, or doughnut shaped, inflatable member 26 of resilient material, such as rubber. In the embodiment shown, member 26 is a truck tire inner tube. Completely surrounding member 26 is a cover 2! of fabric or like flexible material, the edges of which are joined together by suitable means such as stitching 28. Attached to cover 21 by means of stitching 28 is a web member 29 of fabric or like flexible material having leg holes 30, 30, forming a seat for the occupant.

When th boat is to be used the occupant supporting member 5, with member 26 inflated, is placed in the substantially circular opening formed by the curved end walls and I1 and top stringers 4, 4, where it rests upon stringers 3, 3 and is engaged generally laterally by stringers 4, 4 and curved end walls 9 and i7. stringers A, 4 also serve to prevent vertical shifting of supporting member when the boat is in use.

When the boat is placed in the water, the occupant seats himself on web member 29 and puts his legs through holes 30, 30. For protection from the water, the occupant may wear hip boots. In shallow water, the occupant may propel the boat by merely walking along the bed of the body of water. In deep water, he may propel the boat by paddling with his legs.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that there is provided a boat which utilizes a removable occupant supporting member, and is a safe, reliable boat of exceedingly simple and inexpensive construction.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications to the embodiment shown and described in the foregoing may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A boat comprising spaced apart fore and aft sections, a pair of bottom stringers joined to and extending between said sections and a pair of top stringers joined to and extending between said sections, said stringers holding said sections in fixed relation to each other, and a removable inflated occupant supporting member of toroidal shape having an occupant supporting web attached thereto, said occupant supporting member being located in the space between said sections and resting upon and being supported by said bottom stringers and engaged by said top stringers whereby said occupant supporting member is held in place.

2. A boat comprising a hollow prow section, a hollow stern section spaced from said prow section, a pair of substantially parallel bottom stringers connected to and extending between said sections, a pair of arcuately shaped top stringers connected to and extending between said sections, said top stringers being bowed outwardly from the longitudinal center line of the boat, and a removable inflated member of toroidal shape having an occupant supporting web attached thereto, said inflated member being located in the space between said prow and stern sections and resting upon and being supported by said bottom stringers and being engaged laterally by said top stringers whereby said inflated member is held in place between said prow and stern sections.

3. A boat according to claim 2 wherein said prow and stern sections each has a curved wall contacting said inflated member laterally to hold said inflated member in place between said sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent Barnes July 24, 

